Join us Sunday at 9:30am

Christmas Blessing

  Posted on   by   No comments

It is hard to believe that THE week (the celebration of the incarnation) has finally come. We’ve weathered many seasons and storms this year. As temperatures continue to plummet, it’s difficult to imagine the warmth and thaw of spring. But, as 2020 fades away into a nativity scene, so too will the doldrums of winter be replaced with the rushing sound of melting snow and the promise of a New Life.

The changing seasons (and our mere hopes for) are a constant reminder of the beautiful blessings of God. Indeed, with each new day, the rising of the sun reminds us of His ever-new mercies.

Just as we have received His grace, Christian, we ought to be a people ready and willing to bless those around us. Though I am merely 130 words into this article, let me call you to action. For all we’ve been given, let each day be a fresh reminder to bless those around you (see Romans 12:14-18).

How is that endeavor going for you? Are you blessing those around you? Are you blessing the world around you?

For many in this generation, the idea of blessing someone is strange – not that we feel it would be strange to bless someone, but rather, that we have no idea what it means to bless someone. We wonder, how in the world do I “bless” someone? Is encouraging someone the way we “bless”? Is hugging a way to “bless”?

I’m really glad you asked those questions. Sometimes “Christian-ease” or ultra-spiritual language can be devoid of meaning because of how often it is used (or even of how rarely it is used).

So, back to our question. What does it mean to bless and how can we bless one another? Let’s allow Scripture to light our path. Consider with me one of the moments when the Bible speaks directly of the idea of blessing.

In 1 Kings 8:54 we are told that Solomon, after building the house of the Lord, stood and “blessed all the assembly of Israel.” After 7 years of construction and at the conclusion of a prayer over the Temple, Solomon stood before the people of Israel and blessed them. It was the proper activity at such a moment. This was a big moment for the people. It makes sense that he wanted, at that time, to bless the people.

But that still doesn’t answer the question of how we bless one another.

What is absolutely profound about this 1 Kings text is what we see in verse 56. Verse 55 tells us that he blessed the people and verse 56 tells us how. Let me simply quote the text so you can see its profundity without my kurfuffled language.

55 “And he stood and blessed all the assembly of Israel with a loud voice saying,” (get ready – here it comes) 56 “Blessed be the Lord who has given rest to His people Israel.” Did you catch that? We bless each other by blessing the Lord. Solomon, the wisest man who ever lived, wanted to bless all Israel. So, he turned to the Lord and proclaimed a blessing unto the Lord! In other words, the way Scripture tells us to bless one another is by proclaiming praise unto God.

In Luke 2:13-14 we see the penultimate (that’s a good word) blessing. Think of the unimaginable blessing given to those shepherds that night when they were in the presence of the heavenly hosts. The angelic host proclaimed loudly, “glory to God in the highest” The shepherds were blessed because “a multitude of heavenly host [were] praising God” in their midst.

Just as those shepherds were, the Body of Christ is blessed when Christ is worshiped. Your family is blessed when you are praising Jesus. When you are proclaiming how good Jesus is—that is when we truly and Biblically bless our loved ones and the world around us.

No word we can say is worth more than a simple proclamation of praise unto Jesus Christ.

May there be a host of believers who, today, are proclaiming “glory to God in the highest” in the company of an onlooking world. It is in that proclamation that we are able to eternally bless the world around us. So Christian, hide not your praise to Jesus.

As this year comes to that long-anticipated scene in a manger, let there be a continuing proclamation of praise unto to Jesus in the presence of an onlooking world.

All glory unto Jesus Christ,

Pastor Tony

Comments

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *